Method and apparatus for gathering and confining live poultry

ABSTRACT

A mobile self-propelled gathering device is manually guided through an area having live birds therein. Pushing means is provided at the forward end of the gathering device and engages the birds from above and pushes the birds rearwardly onto a conveyor means which extends upwardly and rearwardly for conveying the birds away from the pushing means. The birds are discharged at the upper rear portion of the conveyor means downwardly onto a generally horizontally extending conveyor portion which in turn conveys the birds to a further conveyor portion extending to a vehicle from whence the birds are removed from the conveyor portion and placed in suitable shipping contains on the vehicle.

United States Patent Sanders 1 June 27, 1972 [54]- METHOD AND APPARATUSFOR 3,389,690 6/1968 Jerome ..119/s2 GATHERING AND CONFINING LIVE3,420,211 1/ 1969 Hartvickson ..1 19/82 POULTRY [72] Inventor: DickersonH. Sanders, 170 Stanton Way,

Athens, Ga. 30601 [22] Filed: Oct. 16, 1970 21 Appl. No.: 81,377

[52] U.S. Cl. ..1l9/82, 56/328 R, 15/84 [51] Int. Cl. ..A01k 29/00 [58]Field ofSearch ..l l9/l,82, 153;56/328 R; 15/84 [56] References CitedUNITED STATES PATENTS 930,269 8/1909 Conrath ..15/84 2,611,340 9/1952Manning... ....119/82 3,021,661 2/1962 Couberly ..56/328 R PrimaryExaminer-Aldrich F. Medbery Attorney-Snyder and Butrum [57] ABSTRACT Amobile self-propelled gathering device is manually guided through anarea having live birds therein. Pushing means is provided at the forwardend of the gathering device and engages the birds from above and pushesthe birds rearwardly onto a conveyor means which extends upwardly andrearwardly for conveying the birds away from the pushing means. Thebirds are discharged at the upper rear portion of the conveyor meansdownwardly onto a generally horizontally extending conveyor portionwhich in turn conveys the birds to a further conveyor portion extendingto a vehicle from whence the birds are removed from the conveyor portionand placed in suitable shipping contains on the vehicle.

25 Claims, 1 1 Drawing Figures PATENTEnJum 1972 3,672,335

sum 2 or 4 FIGS.

FIG-4.

INVENTOR DICKERSON H. SANDERS PATENTEUJUMZ 1972 SHEET 3 0F 4 INVENTORDICKERSON H. SANDERS Pmmmunev m 3. 672.335

saw u or a FIG. 10.

INVENTOR I I DICKERSON H. SANDERS METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR GATHERING ANDCONFINING LIYE POULTRY BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present inventionrelates to a method and apparatus for gathering live birds and' inparticular fowl such as chickens. Chickens are commonly grown inrelatively large growing houses wherein the chickens are distributed atrandom throughout the growing house which may in a typical example be onthe order of 300 feet in length. At certain time intervals, it isnecessary to gather the chickens within su ch a growing house and placethem in suitable shipping containers or coops for shipment to aprocessing plant.

The present invention is directed to'a method and apparatus which isparticularly suited for gathering chickensfrom the floor of a growinghouse wherein the chickens are conveyed from their position within thegrowing house outwardly thereof to a location such as a vehicle wherethey are placed in shipping containers.

The present practice is for a number of workmen to enter the growinghouse and remove the feeders and waterers. A portion of the chickens arethen driven into a compact mass at one end of the growing house wherethey are held in place by a net so as to prevent the chickens fromreturning to the previously occupied part of the growing house. Thistype of procedure has proved 'to be unsatisfactory since the chickenshave a tendency to stampede into one another and to fly intoobstructions in the growing house and in general the chickens are bumpedand bruised so as to cause a substantial amount of damage which, ofcourse, reduces the quality of the meat thereby causing a substantialfinancial loss. After the chickens have been concentrated in onelocation and contained therein, the chickens are then caught by hand andthe workmen carry about six chickens in each hand to a vehicle such as atruck where they are placed into coops for transport.

In an alternative procedure, the center aisle of the growing house iscleared of birds by driving them to the side walls after the feeders andwaterers are removed. A fork-lift truck or the like is then employed tomove the empty coops from the hauling truck to the cleared center aislewithin the growing house. The birds are then caught by hand and placedin these coops which are then removed from the growing house and placedback on the truck by the fork lift and the like.

The above described procedures for manually gathering the chickensrequire a considerable amount of time and effort on the part of theworkmen gathering the chickens. A relatively large number of workmen arerequired, and the chickens are usually damaged to a substantial extentduring suchoperations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In the present invention, a self-poweredgathering device is provided which can be selectively manually operatedby a single operator. The gathering device moves through an area of thegrowing house having live birds therein, and the gathering device issufficiently maneuverable that it can move into all of the desired areasof the growing house and can work around obstacles such as supportingcolumns and the like.

The gathering device includes a pushing means at the forward end thereofwhich is adapted to engage the birds and to push the-birds bodily in arearward direction onto a conveyor means which extends upwardly andrearwardly of the gathering device. The pushing means resilientlyengages the chickens from above and holds them down while pushing themrearwardly. The pushing means is so constructed as to minimizeany'possible damage to the birds and engagement from above is aparticularly important feature since the birds are at rest on the floorof the growing house with their breasts on the floor. The breast is thearea of the chicken which is most sensitive to damage and the pushingmeans engages the chickens from above so as to prevent as much aspossible any direct contact with the breast area of the bird.

The pushing means is so designed that it effectively reaches over thechickens and pushes them to the rear while restraining them andpreventing escape. The pushing means is also so designed that it willslide off of the chicken if it comes down directly on the chickenthereby to prevent any undue damage to the bird.

The pushing means moves the birds rearwardly onto a conveyor means whichis moving at a faster linear speed than the pushing means to therebyproduce a certain amount of spacing between the birds which allowscooling of the birds and prevents injury thereto.

The chickens are discharged from the upper rear portion of the conveyormeans by a discharge portion onto further conveyor means which in turncarries the chickens outwardly of the growing house onto a suitablevehicle such as a truck whereat personnel grasp the birds from theconveyor means and place them in coops for shipment to a desiredlocation.

The method and apparatus of the present invention enable the gatheringof chickens within a growing house by substantially fewer men than arerequired to carry out prior art gathering operations thereby providing asubstantial saving in labor costs. Additionally, the arrangement of thepresent invention enables the loading of chickens from the growing houseinto the shipping containers at a substantially faster rate whileproducing less damage to the birds.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a side elevation of a thepresent invention;

FIG. 2 is a top view partially broken away of the structure shown inFIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken substantially along line 3-3 of FIG. 2looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 4 is a view partially broken away taken substantially along line 44of FIG. 3 looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken substantially along line 55 of FIG. 3looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 6 is a top perspective view of a modified form of the invention;

FIG. 7 is a sectional view through the structure shown in FIG. 6illustrating one operative position;

FIG. 8 is a view similar to FIG. 7 illustrating another operativeposition;

FIG. 9 is a sectional view through still another form of the invention;

FIG. 10 is a sectional view through yet another modification of theinvention; and,

FIG. 11 is a top somewhat schematic view illustrating the manner inwhich the present invention is employed for gathering chickens in agrowing house.

gathering device according to DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTSReferring now to the drawings wherein like reference charactersdesignate corresponding parts throughout the several views, a first formof gathering device according to the present invention is illustrated inFIGS. 1-5 inclusive. The gathering device includes a movable supportportion or framework 20 supported by a forward pair of dirigible rubbertired wheels 22 supported on axle means 24 and a pair of rear rubbertired wheels 26 supported on' axle means 28. The power means foroperating the gathering device comprises an electric motor 30 supportedon portion 20 and which may be either driven by batteries or a suitablesource of electricity interconnected therewith by means of suitableelectrical cable.

Motor 30 includes an output drive sprocket 32 interconnected by means ofchain 34 with a drive sprocket 36 operatively connected with a gearreducer 38. This gear reducer includes a drive sprocket 40interconnected by means of chain 42 with a sprocket 44 interconnectedwith axle means 28 for driving the rear wheels of the gathering device.

A control panel 50 is disposed at one side of the gathering device andincludes a pair of manually operable control knobs 52 for controllingthe speed of movement of the gathering means as determined by the speedof rotation of the rear wheels 26 as well as the direction of rotationof the wheels either in a forward or reverse direction. In addition, ahandle or tiller 54 extends laterally of the gathering device in such aposition as to be readily manipulated by an operator, this tillerserving to steer wheels 22 to determine the direction of movement of thegathering device. The inner end of tiller 54 is pivotally interconnectedat point 56 with a member 58 which is in turn pivotally supported atpoint 60 on support portion 20. Member 58 includes an elongated slot 62which receives a pin 64 interconnected with steering links 66 which arein turn connected to the dirigible wheels 22 whereby movement of tiller54 is adapted to cause the front wheels of the gathering device to bemoved in unison with one another in a conventional manner.

A swingable assembly 70 includes depending portions 72 at opposite sidesthereof pivotally interconnected with a shaft 74 which in turn isrotatably supported within spaced bearings 66 mounted on support portion20. In this manner, assembly 70 is mounted for swinging movement aboutsupport portion 20. Assembly includes a pair ofside walls 80 and 82 aswell as a top wall 84. Top wall 84 is optional and may be eliminated insome cases. Skid means 86 is provided at the forward ends of the sidewalls 80 and 82 so that the swinging assembly is normally adapted toswing downwardly in a counter clockwise direction as seen in FlGS. 1 and3 so that the forward end thereof will slide along the floor of agrowing house or the like as the gathering device is moved from place toplace.

Gear reducer 38 also includes an output pulley 90 which isinterconnected by means of belt 92 with a pulley 94 affixed to shaft 74.A swingable lever 96 has a pair of rollers 98 supported thereon whichengage belt 92, and swinging movement oflever 96 is adapted to provide adriving connection between the gear reducer and shaft 74 in one positionof the lever and is adapted to disengage such drive in another positionof the lever in a well-known manner.

A pair of drive pulleys 100 are connected with opposite ends of shaft74. Crossed belts 102 extend around pulleys 100 and over idler pulleys104, the belts also extending around driven pulleys 106 secured toopposite ends of a shaft 108. Drive sprockets 110 are secured to shaft108 and are engageable with an endless conveyor belt 112 which passesaround drive sprockets 110 at one end thereof and sprockets 114 at thelower end thereof, these latter sprockets rotating on a fixed shaft 116extending between opposite side walls 80 and 82. It is apparent thatdrive belts 102 serve to drive endless conveyor belt 112 in thedirection illustrated in the drawings.

A further drive pulley 120 is secured to the outer end of shaft 74 andis connected by a belt 122 with a pulley 124 secured to a shaft 126which is rotatably supported by the forward ends of side walls 80 and82. Shaft 126 is also secured to a box-like supporting frame 128 ofgenerally rectangular cross-sectional configuration, this supportingframe having a plurality of spaced members supported thereby adapted toengage birds resting on the floor of the growing house.

The spaced members for engaging the birds include a plurality of arms130 each of which is pivotally interconnected with supporting frame 128and which is biased into the opera tive position shown in full lines bymeans of springs 132. The outer ends of each of these arms is providedwith padding 134 formed of a suitable soft material such as polyurethaneor the like so as to minimize damage to the chickens when the arms comeinto engagement therewith. If excess force is applied by the arms to thechickens, the arm may pivot from the full line position as shown in FIG.3 to a dotted line position as shown therein to thereby minimize anypossible damage to the bird. This pivoting movement will normally takeplace as the arms descend upon the top of a chicken whereby the arms areadapted to slide off of the chicken if the chicken is not in the properposition so as to be pushed toward the conveyor means by the arms. Thepadding of the arms may be eliminated in certain cases and the arms maybe rigidly attached to the supporting frame instead of being pivotablyinterconnected therewith.

A discharge portion is provided adjacent the upper rear end of theconveyor means, this discharge portion including a lower wall 142 alongvwhich chickens are adapted to slide as the conveyor belt reversesdirection around sprockets 110. The discharge portion also includes atop wall 144 and a pair of converging side walls 146 defining adischarge opening 148 from which the chickens are discharged ontofurther conveyor means as hereinafter described. Top wall 144 isoptional and may be eliminated in some cases.

A further conveyor indicated generally by reference numeral 150 includesan endless conveyor belt 152 extending around a roller 154 supported ina framework 156 which is pivotally connected with a vertically extendingshaft 158 provided on support member 20. ln this manner, one end ofconveyor means 150 is pivotally interconnected with the gathering devicewith one end of conveyor means 150 disposed beneath the dischargeportion of the gathering device for receiving birds therefrom. Conveyormeans 150 also includes a pair of side walls 160 interconnected with atop wall 162 which provides a covered conveyor means which incooperation with the covered conveyor portion of the gathering deviceinsures that the birds will not escape from the conveying means. Topwall 162 is optional and may be eliminated in some cases.

Referring now to FIG. 11, a growing house is indicated by referencecharacter and includes a door 172 at one end thereof. A suitableconveyor means 174 such as an endless belt or the like is provided andsuitably driven in the direction as indicated by the arrow in thisfigure. An end of conveyor means 150 is movably interconnected withconveyor means 174 at points 176 whereby the gathering device andconveyor means 150 is adapted to be maneuvered and moved from place toplace in the growing house while the conveyor means remain in operativeassociated relationship with one another. Conveyor means 174 may also bea covered conveyor so as to insure that the birds will not escapetherefrom as they are being moved out of the growing house.

Conveyor means 174 extends to an intermediate portion of a suitablevehicle 180 such as a truck or the like which is adapted to carry thechickens to a remote point for processing. A plurality of shippingcontainers such as chicken coops 182 are provided on the truck and aplurality of men indicated by reference character M in FIG. 11 arepositioned on the truck adjacent the outer end of conveyor means 174 formanually grasping the chickens from the conveyor means and placing themin suitable chicken coops which are then stacked in position on thetruck. lt is contemplated that it will ordinarily require three men tocarry out this function. In addition, a man is positioned within thegrowing house at a point where conveyor means 150 and 174 areinterconnected with one another to insure that the two conveyor meanswill remain in operative relationship with one another while allowingconveyor means 150 to move axially along conveyor means 174. A furtherman, as indicated by reference character M, is positioned adjacent thegathering device for manually controlling the direction and speed ofmovement of the gathering device.

In operation, the crew enters the lighted chicken house after sunset andplaces conveyor means 174 along the center aisle of the house, and thisconveyor means may include inclined portions so as to elevate thechickens to the bed of the truck. Conveyor means 150 is then operativelyassociated with conveyor means 174 while the gathering device indicatedgenerally by reference character rests upon the floor of the house. Thelights in the house are then extinguished causing the birds to be atrest on the floor of the house. The gathering device is then manuallycontrolled by an operator who directs the gathering device through anarea having live birds therein.

As the gathering device moves through the live birds, the pushing meansat the forward end of the gathering device pushes the birds bodily in arearward direction onto the conveyor means of the gathering device. Thebirds are pushed in a rearward direction from above and in a resilientmanner so as to prevent damage to the birds. The birds are held downwhile they are being pushed rearwardly to restrain the birds to preventescape from the gathering device. The plurality of arms on the pushingdevice serves to gently penetrate a group of packed birds and preventsdamage thereto.

The birds are moved by the pushing means onto the lower portion of theconveyor means of the gathering device whereupon the birds are carriedupwardly and rearwardly away from the pushing means. The conveyor meansis driven at a linear speed substantially greater than that of thepushing means so that the birds will be spaced from one another alongthe conveyor means.

The birds are discharged through the discharge means at the upper rearend of the conveyor means downwardly onto conveyor means 150 whereuponthe birds are then carried laterally to conveyor means 174 and thenceoutwardly of the chicken house to the truck or the like. The birds arethen removed from the conveyor means 174 and placed in the shippingcontainers on the truck.

It is evident that theentire gathering procedure can be carried out byfive men rather than requiring approximately nine men as has been thecommon practice in the prior art. The birds can be loaded must fasterand with considerably less damage to the birds.

Referring now to FIGS. 6-8, a modified form of the invention isillustrated wherein the gathering device is substantially identical withthat previously described with the exception that the pushing means hasbeen modified in this embodiment. Parts similar to those previouslydescribed will be given the same reference numerals primed.

In this form of the invention, belt 122' drives a pulley 200 affixed toa shaft 202 journalled in spaced bearings 204 supported on a horizontaltop wall 205 supported between the opposite side walls 80' and 82'.

A pair of disc-like members 206 are affixed to the outer ends of shaft202 and have links 208 pivotally connected at points 210 spaced from theaxis of rotation of members 206, the opposite ends of links 208 beingpivotally interconnected at points 212 with opposite side walls 210 ofareciprocable assembly including a top wall 212 extending between sidewalls 210 and interconnected therewith. It is apparent that uponrotation of shaft 202 and disc-like members 206 during operation of thedevice, links 208 will produce reciprocation of the portion includingside walls 210 and top wall 212.

A plurality of spaced members 220 are pivotally supported by a crossshaft 222 at the forward open end of the reciprocable portion, members220 being free to swing in a rearward or counter clockwise direction asseen in FIGS. 6 and7 and being restrained against movement in a forwardor clockwise direction by a cross bar 224 extending between oppositesides 210 of the reciprocable portion.

In operation, as the gathering device is moved through an area havinglive birds therein, the reciprocable portion will continuouslyreciprocate. As the reciprocable portion moves forward, arms 220 areadapted to swing in a rearward direction so as to pass over any chickensin the path of movement whereupon members 220 will swing downwardly intothe position as shown in FIG. 7. Subsequent movement of the reciprocableportion in a rearward direction will cause any birds disposed at theinner side of members 220 to be pushed rearwardly onto the conveyor belt112' since members 220 cannot swing forwardly as the reciprocableportion is moving in a rearward direction. This pushing means willcontinue to carry out this cycle of movement during operation of theapparatus.

Referring now to FIG. 9 of the drawings, a further modified form of theinvention is illustrated wherein the gathering device may besubstantially the same as that previous described with the exception ofthe pushing means. In this form of the invention, the pushing means 230comprises a body of resilient material such as a medium density closedpore polyurethane foam having integral projections 232 extendingradially outwardly thereof. The pushing means is mounted on a shaft 234adapted to roatate in the direction as indicated by the arrows so as toengage birds and push them rearwardly onto the conveyor means.

Referring now to FIG. 10 of the drawings, still another form of theinvention is illustrated wherein the gathering device is identical withthat previously described with the exception of the pushing means. Inthis embodiment, the pushing means includes a pair of pulleys 240mounted on shafts 242 which are driven in the direction indicated by thearrows. A belt 244 passes around the pulleys and includes outwardlyextending projections 246 which are adapted to engage birds and pushthem rearwardly onto the conveyor means.

As this invention may be embodied in several forms without departingfrom the spirit or essential characteristics thereof, the presentembodiment is therefore illustrative and not restrictive, and since thescope of the invention is defined by the appended claims, all changesthat fall within the metes and bounds of the claims or that form theirfunctional as well as conjointly cooperative equivalents are thereforeintended to be embraced by those claims.

What is claimed is:

l. The method of gathering live birds comprising moving a gatheringdevice through an area having live birds therein, engaging the birdswith a portion of said gathering device and pushing the birds bodilyonto a conveying means, conveying the birds away from said portion ofthe gathering device, moving the birds to a location remote from saidand confining said birds at said remote location.

2. The method as defined in claim 1 including the step of selectivelymanually controlling the position of said gathering device.

3. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein the birds are held downwhile being pushed bodily onto said conveying means.

4. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein the birds are pushed fromabove.

5. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein the portion of saidgathering device engaging the birds engages the birds resiliently so asto prevent damage to the birds.

6. The method as defined in claim 1 including the step of engaging thebirds with a plurality of spaced members so as to gently penetrate agroup of packed birds to prevent damage thereto.

7. The method as defined in claim I wherein the birds are separated fromone another when conveyed away from said portion of the gatheringdevice.

8. The method as defined in claim 7 wherein the birds are moved awayfrom said portion at a speed greater than the speed at which the birdsare pushed onto the conveying means.

9. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein the birds are conveyedupwardly away from said portion of the gathering device.

10. The method as defined in claim 1 including the step of placing thebirds in shipping containers at said remote location.

11. Apparatus for gathering and conveying poultry birds comprising agathering device, said gathering device including a mobile supportportion, means for manually controlling the position and location ofsaid movable support portion, poultry contacting and pushing meanssupported at the forward end of said support portion for engaging birds,drive means for driving said pushing means in a direction to engage andgather the birds and push them rearwardly of the gathering device, andconveyor means supported by said support portion, said conveyor meansincluding a leading edge adjacent to the rearwardmost path of movementof said pushing means to receive birds from the pushing means and tomove the birds away gathering device from the pushing means and means toconfine said poultry birds after they have been moved.

12. Apparatus as defined in claim 11 wherein said movable supportportion includes wheels and power means whereby the movable supportportion is self-propelled.

13. Apparatus as defined in claim 11 wherein said pushing means includesa plurality of spaced resilient portions to prevent damage to the birdswhen engaging the birds.

14. Apparatus as defined in claim 11 wherein said pushing means includesa plurality of pivotally mounted spaced arms, and means resilientlybiasing said arms in one direction.

15. Apparatus as defined in claim 14 wherein said arms are moved along acircular path for engaging birds from above.

16. Apparatus as defined in claim 11 wherein said pushing means includesa plurality of spaced members, said spaced members being mounted forfree swinging movement in a rearward direction and being held againstswinging movement in the opposite direction.

17. Apparatus as defined in claim 16 wherein said pushing means includesa reciprocating portion adapted to reciprocate in a direction forwardlyand rearwardly of the gathering device said spaced members beingswingably supported on said reciprocating portion.

18. Apparatus as defined in claim 11 wherein said pushing means includesa resilient body having a plurality of projecrun tions extendingtherefrom.

19. Apparatus as defined in claim 11 wherein said pushing means includesan endless belt having a plurality of spaced projections formed thereon.

20. Apparatus as defined in claim 11 wherein said means is inclinedupwardly and rearwardly.

21. Apparatus as defined in claim 11 wherein said conveyor means ismoved at a faster linear speed than the linear speed of movement of saidpushing means.

22. Apparatus as defined in claim 11 including a discharge portionsupported by said support means and disposed adjacent the upper rearportion of said conveyor means for discharging birds downwardly fromsaid conveyor means.

23. Apparatus as defined in claim 22 including further conveyor meanscomprising a first conveyor portion having a part thereof positionedbeneath said discharge portion for receiving birds therefrom.

24. Apparatus as defined in claim 23 wherein said first conveyor portionis pivotally connected at one end thereof to said gathering device.

25. Apparatus as defined in claim 24 including a second conveyor portionadapted to extend to a vehicle, the opposite end of said first conveyorportion being movably operatively interconnected with said secondconveyor portion.

conveyor

1. The method of gathering live birds comprising moving a gatheringdevice through an area having live birds therein, engaging the birdswith a portion of said gathering device and pushing the birds bodilyonto a conveying means, conveying the birds away from said portion ofthe gathering device, moving the birds to a location remote from saidgathering device and confining said birds at said remote location. 2.The method as defined in claim 1 including the step of selectivelymanually controlling the position of said gathering device.
 3. Themethod as defined in claim 1 wherein the birds are held down while beingpushed bodily onto said conveying means.
 4. The method as defined inclaim 1 wherein the birds are pushed from above.
 5. The method asdefined in claim 1 wherein the portion of said gathering device engagingthe birds engages the birds resiliently so as to prevent damage to thebirds.
 6. The method as defined in claim 1 including the step ofengaging the birds with a plurality of spaced members so as to gentlypenetrate a group of packed birds to prevent damage thereto.
 7. Themethod as defined in claim 1 wherein the birds are separated from oneanother when conveyed away from said portion of the gathering device. 8.The method as defined in claim 7 wherein the birds are moved away fromsaid portion at a speed greater than the speed at which the birds arepushed onto the conveying means.
 9. The method as defined in claim 1wherein the birds are conveyed upwardly away from said portion of thegathering device.
 10. The method as defined in claim 1 including thestep of placing the birds in shipping containers at said remotelocation.
 11. Apparatus for gathering and conveying poultry birdscomprising a gathering device, said gathering device including a mobilesupport portion, means for manually controlling the position andlocation of said movable support portion, poultry contacting and pushingmeans supported at the forward end of said support portion for engagingbirds, drive means for driving said pushing means in a direction toengage and gather the birds and push them rearwardly of the gatheringdevice, and conveyor means supported by said support portion, saidconveyor means including a leading edge adjacent to the rearwardmostpath of movement of said pushing means to receive birds from the pushingmeans and to move the birds away from the pushing means and means toconfine said poultry birds after they have been moved.
 12. Apparatus asdefined in claim 11 wherein said movable support portion includes wheelsand power means whereby the movable support portion is self-propelled.13. Apparatus as defined in claim 11 wherein said pushing means includesa plurality of spaced resilient portions to prevent damage to the birdswhen engaging the birds.
 14. Apparatus as defined in claim 11 whereinsaid pushing means includes a plurality of pivotally mounted spacedarms, and means resiliently biasing said arms in one direction. 15.Apparatus as defined in claim 14 wherein said arms are moved along acircular path for engaging birds from above.
 16. Apparatus as defined inclaim 11 wherein said pushing means includes a plurality of spacedmembers, said spaced members being mounted for free swinging movement ina rearward direction and being held against swinging movement in theopposite direction.
 17. Apparatus as defined in claim 16 wherein saidpushing means includes a reciprocating portion adapted to reciprocate ina direction forwardly and rearwardly of the gathering device, saidspaced members being swingably supported on said reciprocating portion.18. Apparatus as defined in claim 11 wherein said pushing means includesa resilient body having a plurality of projections extending therefrom.19. Apparatus as defined in claim 11 wherein said pushing means includesan endless belt having a plurality of spaced projections formed thereon.20. Apparatus as defined in claim 11 wherein said conveyor means isinclined upwardly and rearwardly.
 21. Apparatus as defined in claim 11wherein said conveyor means is moved at a faster linear speed than thelinear speed of movement of said pushing means.
 22. Apparatus as definedin claim 11 including a discharge portion supported by said supportmeans and disposed adjacent the upper rear portion of said conveyormeans for discharging birds downwardly from said conveyor means. 23.Apparatus as defined in claim 22 including further conveyor meanscomprising a first conveyor portion having a part thereof positionedbeneath said discharge portion for receiving birds therefrom. 24.Apparatus as defined in claim 23 wherein said first conveyor portion ispivotally connected at one end thereof to said gathering device. 25.Apparatus as defined in claim 24 including a second conveyor portionadapted to extend to a vehicle, the opposite end of said first conveyorportion being movably operatively interconnected with said secondconveyor portion.